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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Experimenting with Pad See Ew

It's been happening a lot lately. I have an amazing meal at a restaurant, and then, instead of plotting my return visit for a repeat encounter with the dish, I get all hot and bothered about trying to re-create it at home. It would be all fine and good if I always decided to try simple recipes like the strawberry, corn and feta salad I made on Saturday, but more often than not, I set my sights a little too high. Like when I attempted to channel Ms. Silverton to make the beloved Nancy's chopped salad from Pizzeria Mozza...

This past week, I became obsessed with the idea of re-creating the pork pad see ew (or is it pork pad seeyou?) dish my friends and I enjoyed at Nakkara the previous weekend. I scoured the Internet for recipes, consulted the food blogs, and finally came up with my own healthy version for my dinner on Saturday night.

Because I opted to use udon noodles instead of flat, only used a scant amount of oil, and do not own a well-seasoned wok to give the dish that extra za-za-zang, my end result did not inspire the same reaction that Nakkara's version did the previous Sunday. While I did slurp up everything in my bowl (because that's how I roll), I had no desire to lick it clean. It was good, but couldn't really compare to the original that left my tongue begging for more.

Lesson learned? Absolutely. There's a reason why there are so many Thai restaurants -- Thai food is not meant to be cooked at home.

Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and sugar into a small bowl and whisk until well-blended. Use half the sauce as a marinade for the pork, reserving the rest for the noodles.

While the pork marinates, mince garlic and chop onion and broccoli. Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot and cook noodles according to package directions (may want to reduce cooking time since the noodles will cook more when stir-fried with the veggies and pork).

Meanwhile, cook broccoli and garlic over medium-high heat in a wok or large frying pan for a couple minutes. Do not overcook as it will cook more when everything comes together. Remove from the pan, and add the pork. Season to taste with pepper. When the pork is cooked through, push to the side of the pan and add the egg white to the other side. Once done, add the noodles, broccoli, green onions, and reserved sauce to the pan and stir everything together until well-integrated. Serve immediately.

I love Pad See Ew. Cool that you tried your own version at home! I'm all for recreating restaurants dishes at home. Especially since the cooking/recreating process helps you appreciate the dish even more.

I'm in the process of recreating a Tavern dish. Loving having the chance to enjoy at home what I love serving at night!

About Me

Maybe it was during my trip to NYC in July, 2006 when my older brother took me on a culinary tour of the city. Or maybe it was when I discovered that steak tastes better when not charred black. Or maybe it was present all along -- just waiting for the right moment to spring forth.
Some may call it obsession, others might call it gluttony, but I call it passion. My name is Diana, and I love food.